Eligibility Criteria

• Very good result in Bachelor’s degree programme (top 10% of Bachelor’s degree programme = grade A)
• Please make sure to be reachable under the telephone number specified in your CV as the selection process might include a phone/VC interview in February
• If you are already enrolled in a Master's degree programme at ETH Zurich, or hold a Master degree, you are not eligible for ESOP.

Selection Criteria

• For the start in the academic year 2025/26 there will be assigned approximately 60 ESOP scholarships. The decision is communicated at the end of March.
• The applications are evaluated by the Admissions Committees of the respective Master’s programmes. The final decision for awarding scholarships in the Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme rests with the Rector of ETH Zurich. The exact number of annual scholarships depends on the availability of funds. The decisions are communicated by end of March.

Required Documents

• In addition to the documents for the Master admission you will need to upload a pre-proposal for your master thesis (Download guidelines_preproposal (PDF, 86 KB)).
• The pre-proposal for the Master's thesis must be developed by yourself and use established scientific citation practice.
• Plagiarism, negligent or intentional misinformation will lead to exclusion from the admission process or - if discovered later - to the revocation of the admission and of any scholarship.
• If your study programme does not ask for references you must name two reference persons (professors) for your ESOP application. These persons should upload (after an email from the system) a reference letter.

Benefits

• The Excellence Scholarship/ESOP consists of a scholarship covering living and study expenses (CHF 12'000 per semester) as well as a tuition fee waiver. 
• ESOP is awarded for the regular duration of the Master’s programme (three or four semesters). This also applies for the tuition fee waiver
• Only ETH Bachelor students may start the ESOP with a leave of absence.

• Click the “Apply Now” button to begin your application.
• Complete the online application form carefully.
• Upload all required documents as instructed.
• Ensure submission before the deadline.

APPLY HERE